- Madrid Open faces scrutiny for past controversies and inequality
- Past incidents include unequal treatment, public backlash, and structural issues
- Organizers vow improvements but face challenges in repairing reputation
It would not be surprising if the female tennis players returned to the capital of Spain this week for the Madrid Open with a collective grumble. A cursory examination of the tournament’s past reveals a plethora of errors, allegations of inequity, and even a complete misogyny controversy from the previous year. Undoubtedly not a defining moment of the calendar.
Although it is a new year, those recollections remain vivid. As per a statement from an informant, several elite female players roll their eyes at the WTA 1000 tournament, which offers one of the most prestigious titles of the year. “Every time something occurs, which is inevitable, people will exclaim, ‘Classic Madrid,'” according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
It was a case in point last year. The tournament faced criticism for employing model ball girls, during the final phases of which baggier attire was substituted for crop tops.
A controversy surrounding a confection increased conversation. At the event, two prominent players celebrated their birthdays: Carlos Alcaraz, the men’s top seed and the “golden boy” of Spain, and Aryna Sabalenka, the women’s world No. 2 from Belarus. One individual was presented with an enormous two-tiered cake that required the assistance of two individuals to transport to the main court for the momentous occasion. The other was given a more modest cake perched on a dish within the stadium. Unrewarded conjecture as to who received what.
Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka expressed her dismay via Twitter, hypothesizing that it was a visual representation of the differential treatment of women’s tennis association players compared to men’s Association of Tennis Professionals players at the event. Bianca Andreescu, an additional former grand slam champion, agreed with her. On X, the tournament director, Feliciano López, responded to Azarenka’s post with an image of Holger Rune enjoying a cake of comparable size to Sabalenka’s, stating he had no clue what the fuss was about. Regardless of the motivations, the cakes and the extremely public altercation tarnished the tournament’s reputation.
The cherry on top of the cake arrived later in the week. Azarenka and her fellow finalists in the doubles competition—her partner Beatriz Haddad Maia, as well as the runners-up Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula—were not granted the opportunity to deliver their customary remarks at the trophy ceremony by the tournament organizers. It was termed “unacceptable” by the WTA player council’s outspoken member and two-time major champion Azarenka. Pegula continued, “I have no idea what century everyone was in at the time that decision was made.”
Four days of backlash passed before the chief executive officer of the tournament, Gerard Tsobanian, issued an apology. “We are committed to improving our protocols and will work internally with the WTA to review them,” he said, adding, “This will never happen again.” The effectiveness of the lessons learned will be determined within the following two weeks.
There are more egregious instances of structural inequality elsewhere in tennis, such as at tournaments where the disparity in prize money is enormous or where the scheduling of matches devalues the women. However, some insiders continue to hold the Madrid Open in excruciatingly low regard. There is much more involved than the previous year and a few pastries. These sentiments regarding the treatment of women as second-class citizens are profound.
It began with former player and former proprietor of the Madrid Open Ion Tiriac, a Romanian businessman who admitted openly for years that he placed a higher value on men than women. He contended that since they generated more revenue through television rights and sponsorship, the prize money ought to reflect that. It is worth noting that this viewpoint is not unpopular among others, albeit not as openly expressed. He also offered derogatory assessments of the ability of WTA players and lewd commentary on their legs.
Certain insiders hold the opinion that despite the dire circumstances of the Tiriac era, his chauvinism was evident. Even though he expressed some preposterous views as a dinosaur, everyone was aware of his position.
Tsobanian has presided over the tournament since 2022 when Tiriac sold it to IMG; during that time, numerous instances of inequality have occurred. This encompasses both the previous year and IMG’s inaugural season, during which the organization faced additional negative publicity due to its decision to schedule the women’s final concurrently with the men’s semi-finals. This strategic error resulted in start time delays and subsequently attracted criticism from eventual champions, Ons Jabeur.
Despite being disheartening, these occurrences were anticipated by numerous individuals in the sport, given that Tsobanian worked closely with Tiriac in Madrid. One source characterizes him as Tiriac’s “pupil,” further stating, “That ought to be sufficient information for you; Gerard acquired everything from Tiriac.” They believe that a degree of inequality has persisted in developing throughout IMG’s tenure.
Following Spain’s World Cup final victory, the then-FIA chief, Luis Rubiales, deposited an unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso’s lips. This incident has brought disgrace to Spanish sport. It initiated a deluge of narratives concerning chauvinism in football and the broader sports community.
Although the Madrid Open is one of the most prominent sporting events held in Spain, its challenges should not be erroneously attributed to cultural differences on account of the country’s location. The tournament is administered on a global scale by IMG, a multinational conglomerate that also owns the Miami Open and represents a significant number of the world’s best players, including Azarenka.
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A new opportunity presents itself this year to support women’s tennis. Undoubtedly, the organizers hold the opinion that a change has occurred within the last twelve months. As was the case the previous year, it is understood that they intend to guarantee an even number of men’s and women’s matches during the primetime night sessions this year. Furthermore, similar to several events at this level, the tournament will maintain equal prize money.
Daniela Hantuchova, a former world No. 5, has been appointed as the WTA player relations lead for this year’s tournament to cultivate an even greater sense of goodwill among the competing women.
“Providing a positive experience for all individuals associated with the Madrid Open, including players, fans, and IMG executives,” stated Robbie Henchman, president of global partnerships for IMG. “We have reviewed our protocols in collaboration with the WTA, ATP, and our stakeholders over the past year, and we have provided key Madrid Open team members with inclusion training.”
While these measures will provide practical assistance, repairing reputational harm will be more challenging.
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